S.S. Dorchester Memorial Marker

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Dorchester in Clark County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

S.S. Dorchester Memorial

By Keith L, September 6, 2009

1. S.S. Dorchester Memorial

Inscription. The Ship
Built 1926
Statistics:
Length overall · 368'
Beam · 52'
Draft · 19'
Gross tons · 5,649
Speed (knots) · 12
Radius (miles) · 5,500
Propulsion · Recip. eng.
Passengers · 788
Cargo (cu. ft.) · 187,250

Jan. 24, 1942 Became U.S. Warship USAT
Jan. 22, 1943 Departed N.Y. to Greenland (6th trip)
Feb. 3, 1943 Torpedoed in the North Atlantic (by U-223)
Lat. 59° 23' N Long. 48° 42' W

The Men
[number On Board, Saved, Lost]
Officers, USA · 15 4 11
Enlisted men, USA · 525 132 393
U.S. Navy gun crew · 24 10 14
Coast Guard · 33 7 26
Enlisted men, USN · 2 2 0
Civilians (War Dept.) · 155 44 111
Danish Citizens · 16 3 13
Ship's Crew · 132 28 104
[totals]
On Board 902 · Saved 230 · Lost 672

Including the Immortal Chaplains:
the linked brothers of the faith
greatest loss of life to that
time in WWII of a ship at sea.

Location. 44° 59.918′ N, 90° 19.792′ W. Marker is in Dorchester, Wisconsin, in Clark County. Marker can be reached from Park Drive 0.4 miles south of

By Keith L, September 6, 2009

2. S.S. Dorchester Memorial

Center Avenue (County Highway A), on the right when traveling south. Click for map. Memorial is in Dorchester Recreational Park near the intersection of Third Avenue and Park Drive/Pine Street. Marker is in this post office area: Dorchester WI 54425, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Dorchester Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Yellowstone Trail (approx. 5.9 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 6 miles away); History of The Big White Pine (approx. 6 miles away); The Home of Colby Cheese (approx. 6.4 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. USAT Dorchester. Wikipedia entry. "USAT Dorchester was a United States Army Transport ship that was sunk when it was part of a naval convoy during World War II... Dorchester is best remembered today for the Four Chaplains who went down with her." (Submitted on April 10, 2010.)

2. S.S. Dorchester. "The four chaplains found a deck box full of lifebelts and together started assisting the men who were without into the belts and overboard. Soon the box was empty. The chaplains, one by one removed their own lifebelts and gave them to men who had none. The Chaplains locked arms, sang and prayed for the men as the Dorchester sank with them on board." (Submitted on April 10, 2010.)

3. Four Chaplains. Wikidedia entry. "The chaplains, who all held the rank of lieutenant, were the Methodist Reverend George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, the Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington and the Reformed Church in America Reverend Clark V. Poling." (Submitted on April 10, 2010.)

By Keith L, September 6, 2009

3. S.S. Dorchester Memorial

4. The Four Chaplains. "In 1960, Congress created a special Congressional Medal of Valor, never to be repeated again, and gave it to the next of kin... It does not appear on any military awards charts." (Submitted on April 10, 2010.)

Additional comments.
1.
The memorial is made from Dorchester Sand Stone. The research was done by Bernard Stack and Albert Braun, both residents of the village.
Source: Appleton Post Crescent

— Submitted May 3, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

By Keith L, September 6, 2009

4. S.S. Dorchester Memorial

S.S. Dorchester & the Four Chaplains Sign Photo, Click for full size

By Keith L, September 6, 2009

5. S.S. Dorchester & the Four Chaplains Sign

Memorial is in the background.

Dorchester Recreational Park Photo, Click for full size

By Keith L, September 6, 2009

6. Dorchester Recreational Park

Nearby Playground Train

Credits. This page originally submitted on April 10, 2010, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,126 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 10, 2010, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.